We Still Are
by Jacquese
Summary: Fourth in the "We Are" series. Journey's End. "'I'm here' she cried, moving in front of the computer. His expression changed immediately. He had looked happy before, but that was nothing compared to the joy written on his face when their eyes connected." 10/Rose, multi-chapter
1. Chapter 1

TURN LEFT/THE STOLEN EARTH/JOURNEY'S END

_"What was he doin' with me?"_

_"He thought you were brilliant."_

_"Don't be stupid."_

_"Well you are. It just took the Doctor to show you that, simply by being with him. He did the same to me, to everyone he touches."_

_"Were you and him?"_

She still couldn't explain why she didn't answer Donna. It was an easy enough answer. Yes, they were. They still are as far as Rose was concerned. Of course, he had probably moved on, maybe that was best. Up until now, it seemed impossible that they would ever see each other again. She had Samson, and all the Doctor had was the heartache that came with losing a family, and since he had already had that, it must have been doubly painful. She removed these thoughts from her mind. She didn't like to think of him being sad.

She used the cannon and appeared near Donna. The sadness in her eyes knew no limits. She had used words to convince this woman to take her own life. The redhead had grown to trust her so completely, and she had played with the woman like a toy, as if she were no better than one of her son's stuffed animals.

Rose walked into the street and watched as Donna took her last breaths. She had her chance, and now she would get a message to him. She came nearer to Donna's face and whispered the two words that would make the Doctor understand everything. _"Bad Wolf."_ And with that, Donna Noble died.

The blonde woman could feel the universes begin to right themselves. She was prepared for it. Once she appeared back in her correct universe, she rushed to the Tyler mansion, where her mother and father were currently watching Sammy. She drove as quickly as she dared, knowing that time was of the essence. By now, the Doctor would have already learned about her involvement and would, she hoped, be desperately awaiting her return. She didn't want to disappoint him.

She left the car running and raced into the grand house, calling for her mum.

"Blimey, Rose! We're all right here!" hushed Jackie Tyler as she walked into the entry way, Tony on her hip. "What's going on?"

"Where's Sammy?" Rose spoke quickly. "We've gotta go."

"He's here," came the reply from Pete, the man who had become a wonderful father to Rose and Tony and an even better granddad to Sammy. He stepped into the room with said grandson unstably rushing after him. Upon seeing his mother, he let out a loud giggle. "Mummy!" he cried and rushed to Rose. She smiled and drew him close to her.

"Hello my darling," she cooed, hoisting him off the floor. "Ready to go?" He nodded into her hair. His mother faced Jackie. "Is he all packed?"

"Yeah, his bag's here." Pete went back into the living room and appeared a few seconds later with Sammy's baby bag. "Rose, what's the rush?"

She paused for only a moment, knowing that her parents wouldn't like what she was about to say. "We're going home, mum. _Home_, home."

Jackie's eyes widened. "You mean-?" Rose nodded in answer to the unfinished question. "We got the problem with the parallel universes figured out, but the stars are still going out, so the whole picture is still wrong. But I reckon the cannon will still work which means I've got to go. This may be my one chance to get back to him."

"But what about Sam?" Pete asked. "What if the cannon doesn't work now that the universes are set to rights? You could both get hurt."

"We won't," Rose said with absolute faith. "We'll be okay, and we will find him again." She hugged her mum as close as she could with two toddlers between them. "I love you all," she breathed before moving to Pete. "Sammy, say goodbye to grandma and granddad."

"Bye!" the tot cheered while waving enthusiastically. Rose clutched her son and his bag and ran out to the car. Soon they made it back to Torchwood and the dimension cannon. She slung Sammy's bag over her shoulder and gripped her own with her free hand. Taking a deep breath, she walked forward and looked at the soldier operating the machine. A nod was sent his way once she and her son entered the center. The device fired up, and Torchwood disappeared.

Rose opened her eyes, blinking at the change of the light. What had been early afternoon on Pete's world was now late night in her home universe. She looked up at the sky and realized why. There were a dozen planets, probably more, blocking the light of the sun. People ran around in a mad panic, and she knew that she had just entered the heart of whatever it was that had caused the stars to disappear.

Thinking quickly, Rose ran to the nearest phone booth and grabbed a telephone book. After inserting the correct change and punching the correct numbers, she waited for an answer.

"Hello?" came the voice of a somewhat worried young boy.

"Hi, I'm looking for Sarah Jane!" Rose spoke quickly.

"She's a bit busy-"

"Look, my name is Rose. I know the Doctor. Please, tell her it's me!"

She waited impatiently as he moved through the house to hand the phone to the woman she desperately needed to talk to.

"Rose?" Finally!

"Sarah Jane, it's me! I need to see you. Where are you?"

After getting the woman's address, Rose raced from the phone booth to the location she had written down. Without a single taxi in sight, she started making her way to the Smith residence on foot.

She couldn't have been more exhausted or more ecstatic when the house came into view. Sarah Jane must have told the boy who answered the phone that they were expecting someone, for the door flew open a mere second after Rose knocked.

"Rose?" he asked. She nodded. "I'm Luke. Mum's upstairs in the attic." He politely took her bags and set them on the floor before hurriedly leading her to Sarah Jane. They re-entered the attic just in time for the computer to inform Sarah Jane that there was an incoming message from who- or whatever it was that had done this to the Earth. Rose stood next to her and Luke joined them as well as Sarah Jane spoke, "Put it through."

Rose's knees buckled and she almost fell over when she heard the chorus of "Exterminate!" blast through the computer's speakers. She clung tighter to Sammy, the poor boy who hadn't the slightest clue what was going on. Placing a kiss to the top of his head, she begged for her tears to dry, not wanting him to see mummy cry. She turned her head and saw Sarah Jane absolutely frozen, a few stray tears getting the better of her.

"No," she spoke, barely above a whisper, a silent plea for this whole thing to be a dream. Finally she reached out for Luke, sobbing into his shoulder. A surge of determination flooded Rose. She placed Sammy in an empty armchair and told him to stay there. Walking back over to the crying woman, Rose gently pried her away from Luke.

"Sarah Jane," she said with determination, "we will survive this. The Doctor is coming, I promise you that. I've only just got back home, and I am not about to die without seeing him again. We'll find a way. We will."

Sarah Jane merely nodded. "So what do we do?"

"First? We do what we do best. We wait for the Doctor."

She reached out and dried the older woman's cheeks with her thumbs. Sarah Jane sniffed and gave a sad smile. "Aren't you going to introduce me to that handsome young man you came in with?" From the armchair, the little boy giggled. Rose smiled as well. She beckoned for Sammy to join them, and he tottered over quickly.

"Sammy, I'd like you to meet Sarah Jane. She's a very good friend of mine. Sarah Jane, this is Samson, my son."

Giving a smile, Sarah Jane knelt down to match the boy's eye level before reaching out a hand, which was taken, and saying, "It's very nice to meet you Sammy," which resulted in another giggle. She turned to face her own son. "Luke, could you read to him? Who knows how long we'll be waiting."

"Sure mum," he replied before taking the younger boy's hand and leading him over to the corner by the bookshelf. Sarah Jane moved herself and Rose to the opposite side of the attic.

"Rose, is Sammy the Doctor's son?"

Rose merely nodded. "Two hearts and all."

"I...I didn't realize that you two were-"

"We weren't," Rose said, "until after you and I met."

Sarah Jane nodded. "I...had heard about the battle at Canary Wharf. I saw your name on the list of the dead."

"Oh," Rose paused. She hadn't realized...well she supposed it made sense. She and her mum had disappeared to another universe. They must have assumed that she was dead. "Uh, no. Actually, my mum and I got trapped in a parallel universe. I lived there for a while, had Sam there, but it was time to come home. I only just got back before I called you."

"Some homecoming," Sarah Jane spoke bitterly, referring to the reappearance of the Daleks, the race that just never seemed to accept the fact that they had been subject to genocide, three times at that.

Over the next ten or so minutes, the women sat near the computer, watching their sons try to escape the panic that seemed to encapsulate the whole world. Finally, the sound of the Dalek's mechanical tone was replaced by the sound of static and then...

"Can anyone hear me?" Rose's head perked up immediately. "The sub wave network is open. You should be able to hear my voice."

"Who's that?" Sarah Jane looked up to see Luke coming near them, his eyes glued to the computer screen.

"Some poor soul crying out for help," his mother answered dejectedly. "There's nothing we can do."

Rose stood and moved next to Luke while saying, "No, I know that voice!" As the picture became clearer, a smile appeared. "Harriet Jones!"

Suddenly, the image of the ex-Prime Minister called out, "Captain Jack Harkness, shame on you!"

"Jack?" Rose breathed. "Oh my God, Harriet! Jack! It's me, it's Rose! Can you hear me!"

"Rose Tyler?" Harriet asked. "Where are you?"

"I'm with Sarah Jane! She's here too." Rose beckoned for the named woman to stand and join her, which she did.

"Good," spoke the ex-PM. "Now let's see if we can talk to each other." She pushed a few buttons and soon enough, the image of Jack Harkness appeared alongside her on Sarah Jane's monitor. Rose almost began to cry when she saw the Captain.

"Rose," he breathed. Suddenly he gave out a triumphant laugh. "God it's good to see you!"

"You too, Captain!" she cheered. Faith and exultation filled her entire being. They would make it out of this alive. She and Jack were working together again and they had Harriet and Sarah Jane. They _would_ find the Doctor, and they _would_ save the world. They just had to.

After a touch of difficulty, the fourth contact made her way in, a Martha Jones apparently. Rose looked slightly affronted. Who was this woman? How did she know the Doctor? Of course, Rose didn't _want_ him to be alone, but she wasn't too sure that, even for all her talk, she actually wanted him to move on either.

"Who are you?" Rose asked, trying to keep her annoyance in check.

"Martha Jones," she reintroduced herself. "I used to travel with the Doctor. And you are?"

"I'm Rose Tyler."

The effect was immediate. Martha's face first fell before breaking out into a slight smile. "Oh my God, you're back. He'll be so pleased."

"We can talk about this later," Harriet interrupted. "Right now, we have to find the Doctor and get him here. He's the only chance we've got."

A plan was hatched, one that involved Harriet Jones potentially sacrificing herself to the Daleks, all in order to find the Doctor. Rose didn't like it, but she had become used to sacrifice. She knew that there was no other way to get to the Doctor, and she knew that without him, Harriet would just die anyway, along with the entire planet. Each person went to work on their end boosting the signal and dialing the number. Rose moved into the corner with her son, noticing that even among all the chaos, he had fallen asleep. She smiled as she pulled out her phone and began to dial the number as well.

Suddenly her head snapped back to the computer, called Mr. Smith apparently, just in time to hear Harriet Jones speak. "Oh, you know nothing of any human, and that will be your downfall." Another round of "Exterminate" resounded, and the screen went dead. She closed her eyes and briefly mourned the woman who lead England into a golden age and gave her life due to her unending faith in one man, one Time Lord.

"Where the hell have you been?!" came Jack's voice. Rose opened her eyes again and her breath caught in her throat. There he was, standing there in the TARDIS next to Donna Noble. Tears formed and her throat began to swell shut.

Everyone began talking all at once. She could see the Doctor's eyes flit from screen to screen as he determined who he would address first. Her heart pounded in her ears, blocking her hearing. She didn't pay attention to a word anyone said. Her entire focus remained on the Doctor. Sudden giddiness swept within her and the smile that appeared threatened to split her face in two. She was thrust out of her thoughts when she heard him say, "Everyone except Rose."

"I'm here!" she cried, moving in front of the computer. His expression changed immediately. He had looked happy before, but that was nothing compared to the joy written on his face when their eyes connected. She was closer to him now than she had been at any point within the last two years. She knew she only had a bit longer to wait before his arms were wrapped around her again. Hope was added to the mix of emotions swirling within her.

"Rose," he breathed. "You're here. Rassilon, I can't believe...but...is he-?"

"He's here," she answered, her smile remained fixed. "Sleeping, of all things." The Doctor gave a chuckle and moved to say something else before the screen was overtaken and a voice crept through the speakers. Rose couldn't help but feel as though it was a perfect mix between a human tone and a Dalek. It seemed to affect Sarah Jane rather violently.

"Who is it?" Rose asked.

"It can't be," she breathed. "He's dead." Rose put a hand on the older woman's shoulder, an encouragement. "It's Davros. But it can't be..."

Rose listened intently to the exchange between her Doctor and the man who was responsible for the existence of his greatest enemy. She could hear the anger and despair in the Time Lord's voice, and her heart broke for him. She could feel his frustration. She had disintegrated the entire Dalek race only for them to have survived. Then he had sucked them all into the void, only for them to have survived _again_. Wouldn't they ever stop?

She supposed they would have to defeat them one more time.

The screen cut out, and she moved over to where Sammy slept. She pushed his blonde hair out of his face and placed a kiss upon his forehead. "I'll be back soon," she whispered. Her heart was divided. She wanted to stay with him, to guarantee his safety, but she knew that if she didn't leave, she had absolutely no way of doing that.

"Luke," came Sarah Jane's voice, "stay here and watch over Sammy. Keep yourselves safe." Luke merely nodded before hugging his mum goodbye. Soon she and Rose were bounding out of the house and driving off towards...well wherever the Doctor might be.


	2. Chapter 2

As soon as Davros disappeared from his screen, the Doctor yanked levers and slammed down buttons, desperate to land on the Earth's surface. Rose was here. She was back in her Universe, and she had brought _him_. The Doctor gulped for air at this thought. His son. He had a son. His and _Rose's_. Hope began to boil within him and threatened to overflow, but he had to stop it. They weren't out of the darkness yet. First they had a universe to save, but now, more than ever, the Doctor could feel his courage rise within him. It wasn't often that he felt such confidence in himself, but he was determined to save the world. Rose had found her way back to him. She had given him the family that he never felt he had deserved. He would do anything to protect that now that it was within his grasp.

When he exited the TARDIS, with Donna close behind, he marveled at how quiet it was. He surveyed the length of the street, wondering how close he had landed to Sarah Jane's house.

"It's like a ghost town," Donna breathed.

"Sarah Jane said they were taking the people. What for?" He thought aloud. He hoped Donna kept asking questions. It would take his mind off of desperately wishing Rose would appear. He needed to focus on what was going wrong and how he could fix it. All Donna had to do was ask the right question, and his mind would be off.

"Think Donna, when you met Rose in that parallel universe, what did she say?" So much for that last thought.

She shook her head, "Just, 'The Darkness is coming.'"

"Anything else?" he practically begged.

Again she shook her head. The Doctor's mind started moving at a million miles a minute, his voice erupting with any theory he could come up with. He got so distracted by his own talking that he didn't realize a Dalek had been moving near them.

"Exterminate!" it cried, aiming its weapon at the Doctor. The man reacted instantly, shielding Donna from the harmful ray, but before any damage could be done, the sound of a different sort of gun echoed in the empty street, and the Dalek had been blasted. The Doctor looked to the source and saw none other than Captain Jack Harkness.

"Get into the TARDIS!" the Captain yelled. "They're coming!"

The Doctor didn't need to be told twice. He quickly shuffled Donna into the TARDIS and only shut the door once Jack was also safely inside.

"I need you all to listen," the Doctor spoke quickly as he moved a grating panel and ducked into the area it opened. "My guess is that the Daleks have the power to transport the TARDIS onto their main ship, and they'll do it. How long until then, I don't know, but I need you to not do anything stupid. Surrender, don't give them a reason to kill you. Do you understand me?"

"But Doc..." Jack started.

"Only if absolutely necessary, Jack," he commanded, knowing Jack was about to mention his immortality. It was then that the TARDIS grew dark. The Doctor popped his head up and quickly shoved something into his pocket before climbing out of the storage area and replacing the grating. He moved to the console.

"They've got us!" he exclaimed. "The power's gone. Some sort of chrono-loop!"

He hadn't seen a chrono-loop used this way before, but that didn't matter now. He had a plan. He _would_ see Rose again, and they would be together again, in the TARDIS, with their son.

"Took care of that," Sarah Jane explained as she sped through the abandoned streets. "Mr. Smith gave me the coordinates of the TARDIS before we left."

So they drove, it wasn't long, however, before they were stopped when Sarah Jane almost ran the car into the backs of two Daleks. They attempted surrender, but it looked as though the Daleks were in a less than forgiving mood, as ever. Rose was crestfallen. She had come all this way, and she had come so close, only to fail. She reached over and grabbed Sarah Jane's hand. The two had only met twice, but Rose knew that she could count her as one of her greatest friends.

Without any warning, a Dalek exploded. And then the other. Rose flinched and looked around for the source of the blast. When she saw him, she couldn't get her seatbelt off fast enough.

"Mickey!" she cried as she embraced him.

"Wasn't gonna let you have all the fun," he returned. Introductions were made, and the three of them continued their pursuit of the Doctor on foot. When they arrived at the correct street, they heard the chorus of multiple Daleks. They were all centered around the TARDIS, which had a blue circle around it and levitated a bit before disappearing.

"No!" Rose cried a bit too loudly. She, Mickey, and Sarah Jane were still well concealed, but her voice brought attention towards them. They were noticed, and the only thing left for it was to surrender.

Once they were aboard the crucible, the Daleks led the three of them along with multiple others into what looked like some sort of docking bay. With their hands behind their heads, Rose certainly felt like a prisoner, but that didn't stop her from trying to find some way out of this mess. They were now on the same ship as the Doctor, Rose could feel it. And since she was still alive, she was determined to stay that way so she could see him again.

"Mickey!" she heard a hiss. She turned to her left and noticed that Sarah Jane had managed to open a side door, and the Daleks, who were preoccupied with a woman who had fallen over, hadn't noticed. Mickey snuck over to the door as well, Rose close behind him. They sealed it behind them and huddled around the window to watch.

Rose wished they didn't have to, because she knew that, whatever was coming next, it was going to be rather grizzly. They saw the people look up, but from their vantage point, none of them could make out just what it was. Without warning, the people in the bay dissolved into nothing, golden particles that spread into the air and disappeared.

"What was that?" Sarah Jane breathed, horror etched into her tone.

"It's..." Rose began. She paused to collect her thoughts, not really sure of how to explain it. "It's like they were deleted, erased from existence. Everything is made up of atoms that are bound together. The Daleks must have found a way to divide them."

"But how can you know that for sure?"

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "The second time I met the Daleks," she started, "I took the Time Vortex into my head, and I turned all of them into dust. I could see every atom that made them and I divided them. That's how the Doctor regenerated into what he looks like now. I couldn't get rid of it, and it would have killed me, but he took it in himself and...and died. I can't actually remember any of it, but the Doctor explained it to me afterwards." She inhaled again. "But enough about that. We've got to find the Doctor."

Suddenly a panel flew out from the wall and Mickey shoved Rose behind him.

"Just my luck," said an American accent. "I climb through two miles of ventilation shafts chasing life signs on this thing," he motioned to his vortex manipulator, "and who do I find? Mickey Mouse!"

In a serious and unimpressed tone, Mickey threw back, "You can talk, Captain Cheesecake."

Jack's face broke out in a smile and soon the two friends were hugging, overjoyed about seeing each other again and about simply being alive.

"Oi! Don't forget about me!" Rose piped up. The two men pulled apart and she was swept up by the Captain before she even had time to register that he had moved over towards her.

"Rosie!" he laughed happily. "I can't tell you how good it is to see you." When she finally pulled away, Jack saluted Sarah Jane.

"There's something we can do," she said. "You've got to understand. I've got a son down there on Earth. He's only 14 years old! And Rose, Rose's son as well." She pulled something out of her pocket. Jack turned his head to Rose, a hundred questions behind his eyes. She just shook her head, but he was soon distracted by the gem and chain that Sarah Jane held in her hand.

"I brought this," she spoke.

"Is that a warp star?" Jack asked, slightly dumbfounded.

Finally, they had the upper hand, and they had a plan.


	3. Chapter 3

Of course, plans never really work out the way that they're supposed to. The Daleks had seen this coming, that much was clear. Suddenly all four of them had been transmatted into the vault of the Dalek Crucible, where Donna and the Doctor stood as prisoners.

"Don't move! All of you, stay still!" the Doctor cried.

"On your knees!" Davros screamed. "Surrender!"

"Do as he says," the Time Lord pled. He wouldn't be able to bear it if anyone else died on his account. As the five people went to their knees, the Doctor's eyes connected with Rose. In one gaze, he poured forth all of the love and longing and despair he had felt in her absence. She gave a small smile, telling him she understood and that she had felt the same. He so wished in that moment that she was telepathic. He would be able to explain to her exactly what was going to happen next. He wanted to tell her that he loved her and if anything went wrong, she needed to know that. After two years, his feelings hadn't changed, and he knew that even if it had been a hundred years, they would have stayed the same.

He reached into his pocket and clutched the makeshift device he had thrown together in the TARDIS. He caught Jack's eye and realized that the impossible man had noticed what he was doing. The Doctor did all he could to convey two simple words to him, "Cover me." Seemingly getting the message, Jack nodded and shifted himself slightly, readying himself for the fastest way to stand and rush to the Doctor's defense.

The Doctor pushed the button and gently moved his elbow to the left, testing to make sure that he had in fact shorted out his prison. Success. He gave Jack a nod before rushing over to the nearest control panel. Davros cried out, "It's too late, Doctor! The reality bomb will detonate!"

Jack had moved almost the same instant as the Doctor and kept himself in the line of fire of the Daleks, who were beginning to close in. The Doctor sent one more glance at Rose who was on her feet as well, and a sudden rush of inspiration hit him full force. His fingers seemed to move on their own accord, and within seconds the reality bomb was non-functioning as were the Daleks. All hell broke loose in the vault. Daleks were being swept from side to side, the Doctor was busy sending the twenty-seven planets back to their locations, and Davros was screaming at Dalek Caan, who was still going on about the prophecy.

In the midst of the chaos, the Supreme Dalek had descended to their level and commanded the purging of the vault. The control panel was the first thing targeted. Before more damage could be done, Jack appeared with two guns. He used one to eliminate the Supreme Dalek. He threw the other at Mickey, who then held Davros hostage.

"I've lost the magnetron!" the Doctor cried dismally. "But there's still one planet left!" He double-checked the screen. "Oh ho ho, guess which one? But we can use the TARDIS!" He turned to Jack and barked a few orders before looking at Rose and doing the same. Jack went into the TARDIS to begin fulfilling his instructions while Rose moved to the controls and began pushing the correct buttons. Taking a moment, the Doctor neared her and waited until she was finished before giving her a solemn look and saying, "Rose." She turned to look at him. When she saw his face, she gave him her full attention. "I love you," he continued. "When you were away...I always thought of you. I always missed you, wished so badly that you were with me. Hopefully one day you can forgive me for what I'm about to do."

He turned to move away, but she placed a hand on his arm to stop him. "Doctor, you're not thinking of sacrificing yourself, are you?" she asked. She didn't look suspicious. She didn't think that he would let himself get hurt, not after he had found her again. He shook his head. She was right. He wouldn't allow that. "Then I forgive you."

His eyes widened slightly. He had forgotten what it felt like for someone to have complete, unswerving faith in him. He added it to his ever-growing, never ending list of reasons why he loved Rose Tyler.

"What _are_ you gonna do?" she dared to ask.

His expression fell.

"Under any other circumstances, I would never do this, but there's an entire Dalek fleet ready to decimate the planet." His eyes bored into hers. She had never seen him look so angry. "And our son is down there, Rose. I won't let anything happen to him."

Tears filled her eyes and she understood what he was saying. Her very being surged with love for this man, who very clearly loved his son although he had yet to meet the boy. "Let me help."

"Rose," he protested, "I want your hands clean of this."

"Well that's tough," she countered. "You don't have to do this alone, Doctor. I'm here, so tell me what to do."

He took a deep breath as a battle warred in his head. He really did want her to not have this on her conscious. It was bad enough for him knowing that he was about to commit genocide, something he swore he would never do again, but to let Rose share that guilt...it wasn't something he wanted her to have to deal with. He absorbed the look of steadfastness she carried. He could tell that he wouldn't win against her anyway. She wanted to protect their son as much, if not more, as he did.

She listened intently as the Doctor laid out his instructions. When he said so, she pushed the proper buttons and pulled levers. It didn't take long before, with anger etched into his features, the Doctor took the final step and every ship in the Dalek fleet detonated, destroying all of their inhabitants. A countdown began and the crucible would share the same fate soon.

"Never forget, Doctor!" Davros cried. "You did this! I name you forever, you are the Destroyer of Worlds!"

The Lonely God stood in front of his enemy and spoke. "I accept that," he said. "Any other time, your words would haunt me, and I would drown in my guilt. You threatened my family, Davros. I won't let them be hurt, and I won't let them die again."

The Doctor then wasted no time ushering Rose into the TARDIS where everyone else had already convened. He shut the door behind him and began working to tow the Earth back home. He started off with Torchwood, giving orders to Gwen and Ianto.

"Now Torchwood, I want you to open that Rift Manipulator and send all the power to me." Ianto shoved his face in the camera and accepted the task. All that power would make an excellent tow rope to help get the Earth home. Next he changed his connection feed to Sarah Jane's home.

"Sarah, what was your son's name?" he asked his friend.

"Luke! He's called Luke!" she said hurriedly. "And the computer's called Mr. Smith."

The Doctor swallowed slightly as he called out to the inhabitants of number 13 Bannerman Road. He could only cross his fingers that they had gotten the Daleks back to their ships before they could find Sarah Jane's house.

"Calling Luke and Mr. Smith! This is the Doctor!" The screen connected and he could see Luke on the settee. With a swell of joy, he called, "Come on, Luke, shake a leg!"

Suddenly the boy bounded over to the computer, and asked, "Is mum there?"

"Oh, she's fine and dandy," was the reply. Rose looked over and saw the woman cheer, overjoyed at the knowledge that her son was safe.

"Luke," Rose called. "How's Sammy? Is he alright?"

"He's fine! He's still asleep. Dunno how he does it."

Rose chuckled slightly and joined in Sarah Jane's celebration while the Doctor gave Mr. Smith instructions regarding the Rift power that was headed their way. With the help of K-9, the Earth and TARDIS became connected, and the Doctor went around the console, instructing everyone on how to properly fly his beloved machine.


	4. Chapter 4

After all had been set to rights, the group smoothly landed the blue box somewhere in London. While others hugged and celebrated their victory, the Doctor led Rose away from the console and moved to a far wall. Concealed by an arm of coral, he placed one palm upon her cheek. "Finally," he breathed. He pressed his forehead to hers and reveled in her presence. It had been so long since that horrid morning at Bad Wolf Bay, and, although he was ashamed to admit it, the Doctor had given up hope of ever seeing his beloved Rose ever again. For her to be next to him, for him to be touching her, for him to be able to even _talk_ to her...it was enough to force him to lose control of his emotions.

He pressed their lips together in a kiss full of promise and longing. He knew that he should do the right thing and let her go. She would be safer in that parallel universe, and she and their son would live long and happy lives. At the very least he should give her the _option_ of going back there. But as he breathed her in and felt her velvet lips upon his, he couldn't even entertain that thought. He never wanted to let her out of his sight again. She belonged with him, flying through the vortex in the TARDIS, and he'd be damned if he forced her to do anything else.

When they parted, she softly whispered, "We should say goodbye to the others, Doctor. Then we can talk." He gave a short nod and they reappeared to the group.

The Doctor flew open the doors and Sarah Jane ran out first. "You know," she said to him, "you act like such a lonely man, but look at you! You've got the biggest family on Earth!" She opened her arms, he obliged her. "Gotta go!" she said pulling back. "He's only 14, shouldn't be taking care of a young one for too long." She smiled at him. "I'll tell you all about Luke when you and Rose come to get that boy of yours." The Doctor copied her expression at the mention of his son. Then he watched as his best friend bounded away, hurrying home.

Shortly after she disappeared, Martha and Jack exited the TARDIS. The Doctor immediately grabbed Jack's wrist, and Rose appeared next to him.

"I told you," the Time Lord spoke with a frustrated tone, "no teleport." He finished disabling the device and turned to Martha. "And, Martha, get rid of that Osterhagen thing, eh? Save the world one more time."

"Consider it done," she obeyed. And with a salute, the two of them turned and began to walk away. They were followed by Mickey who gave Rose and the Doctor each a short goodbye before running off after the other two.

The pair made to move back into the TARDIS, but were surprised when the doors opened one more time. Out came Donna. The Doctor's face fell, not thinking that he would have to say goodbye to her as well. "I'm sorry, Doctor," she said, seeing his expression. "But you've got Rose back. You don't need me anymore. She'll be there when you need to be stopped, and you love her. Anyone can see that. I'll only get in the way." Not wishing to argue with her, and knowing that deep down he did want some time to be with only Rose and their son, the Doctor just nodded and she hugged each of them before heading off home.

The Doctor looked to Rose and held out his hand. She took it and they walked back into the TARDIS. It was much more quiet without a large group standing at the console, and suddenly the Doctor didn't know what to say. He had exactly what he wanted. Rose was back with him, but it had been two years, two years in which she had been raising their son. Perhaps she thought that it _would_ be safer for her and Sammy in the parallel universe. All of his earlier demands and certainty fled from his mind. He had to give her the option. He owed her that much at least.

"Rose," he whispered, "the walls to the parallel universe are closing. There's time for a short trip...if you want."

She looked at him, and he could see the war going on in her mind. She had a difficult decision to make. She would either have to sacrifice him or her family, and she already knew that she could survive without him. So it came as no surprise to him when she nodded her head. Yes, the trip would be necessary.

"Right," he said, trying to hide his disappointment. "We'll just pop by Sarah Jane's first and pick up...pick up Sammy." He moved to the console, with her right on his heels.

"Doctor, you don't have to do that." He stopped what he was doing and looked directly into her eyes. For the first time since he had known her, he couldn't read her expression. He had no idea what she was thinking about or how she was feeling.

"But...your son-"

"_Our_ son, Doctor," she corrected. "I'm not leaving him, but I'm not leaving you either. If we've got a minute or two in the other universe, the only way I can call my mum is if I'm there." As her words sank in, his melancholy disappeared, and he reached out to her, pulling her body to his. He pressed a kiss to the top of her head, and together they flew the TARDIS across dimensions.

When they landed, he made to leave the ship, but she stopped him. "I don't want to see it," she whispered, knowing exactly where they were. "If we're in the right universe, my phone should work from here." She dialed the number, and it only took one ring before her mum answered. She put the phone on speaker, and the Doctor wrapped his arms around her when he saw the tears in her eyes.

"Rose!" came Jackie's voice. "Thank God! Are you alright? How's Sammy? Is everything okay again? When are you coming home?"

"Mum," Rose spoke up, ending her mother's speech. "I'm okay, Sammy too. We made it to the parallel Earth just fine."

"How are you making this call?"

"We've come back, just for a minute, just so I could say goodbye, let you know I'm okay and all that." There was a pause on the other end.

"Are you with him?"

"I'm here, Jackie," the Doctor spoke quietly. Jackie Tyler wasted absolutely no time.

"You take care of her, Doctor! You make sure that she is safe and happy! And look after that little boy of yours too! Raise him properly!"

"I will, Jackie. I promise." Rose's tears began to fall, and with a final farewell, and love given to Pete and Tony, she clicked her phone shut and the Doctor flew them back home, the walls sealing themselves behind him. Before they left the blue box once more, he held Rose and let her get out all of her tears. She would mourn for a while, but he had faith that she wouldn't have chosen him if she wasn't absolutely sure that she would be happier this way.

Eventually her breathing normalized, and she dried away the last of her tears. She spent a few more moments in his arms before pulling away slightly and saying, "Let me just wash my face. Then we can go." He gave a silent nod as she disappeared into the depths of the TARDIS, giving the Doctor a few moments to think.

It was beginning to sink in that he was finally going to see his son, his child, the being that formed a permanent connection between him and Rose. After the fall of Gallifrey, he had never believed he would have a family again, didn't even know if he wanted one. After what he had done, he felt as though he deserved the isolation that he had caused. There would be no more hum of the Time Lords in his head, except now maybe there could be. Rose had said that Sammy had two hearts...

Sammy. She had named him Sammy. At the moment, the Doctor couldn't think of a more perfect name. When Rose had told him that she was pregnant, grief had overwhelmed him, knowing that she was going to have to be alone as she carried an alien baby. Of course, she had Jackie and Pete and Mickey, but he, the child's own _father_, wouldn't be there to help her or care for her. But he also knew that his misery stemmed from the fact that he had had the chance to not be alone anymore, and it was over before it had even begun. Well, now he was getting his chance.

He already loved Sammy, that much he knew. Ever since she had told him, he had done the calculations every day of how far along she would be, his approximate birth date, how old he would be. He never thought that he would get to see the boy, get to hold him or talk to him or teach him the ways of the Time Lords. Suddenly excitement and nervousness flooded him, and when Rose reappeared at that moment, he was as equally happy as terrified.

They left the TARDIS to find that they had landed in Sarah Jane's living room. "He'll be in the attic," Rose said. She grabbed the Doctor's hand and led him up the stairs. The Doctor could hear the erratic thumping of both of his hearts as they climbed the last steps, and as they came to the landing, he turned and his breath caught. There was Luke, reading a story to a now wide awake little boy with blonde hair framing his gentle features. His eyes were brown, the color a perfect match to his father's. It seemed, however, that that was the only feature the Doctor had given him. He was certainly his mother's child.

The Doctor paused at the landing while Rose moved forward. "Sammy," she said, "Sammy, I'd like you to meet someone."

"Who?!" the boy asked with a curiosity that the Doctor recognized. He smiled at his son's energy. Perhaps in looks, Sammy was all his mother, but his personality was a carbon copy of his father.

Rose crouched down to meet her son's eyes. "Do you remember mummy telling you about the Doctor?"

He nodded ferociously and spoke quickly, "The Doctor is the most wonderful man in the universe! He's kind and clever and he saves people with his box and his wand!"

The Doctor let out a wet chuckle and realized that a few tears had fallen down his cheeks. He wiped them away and Rose continued, "But do you remember the most important thing I've told you?"

Sammy became very somber and said, "Yes, you said he's my daddy, and if he was here, he would tell me every day how much he loves me."

"Very good," she praised him. "Now Sammy, I know you're clever too. When did you notice that we're being watched?"

He shuffled his feet and said, "When you got up the stairs."

"Do you know who the man is behind me?" The little boy shook his head. "Sammy, that's the Doctor."

His eyes grew wide, and the Doctor felt a few more tears fall. "Really?" Sammy asked.

Rose nodded. She stood back up and began walking towards the Doctor, Sammy following close behind. The older man met them in the middle. Sammy's eyes expanded further as he tilted his head back. "You're so tall," he said, his tone filled with awe. The Doctor smiled and copied Rose's earlier position.

"That better?" the older man asked. He received a slight nod.

A moment of silence passed. The Doctor couldn't fathom what to say. His son was standing right in front of him. He never even dreamed that this would be able to happen. He could only envision the boy and Rose having a fantastic life in another universe. Now that they were both in front of him, he was utterly speechless.

"You're my dad," Sammy spoke quietly. It was most certainly not a question. It was a declaration of fact.

The Doctor nodded. "Sammy," he finally managed to choke out. "I want you to come with me, you and your mum. I want you to travel with me in my ship. Would you like that?"

Again, Sammy bobbed his head with enthusiasm.

"Good," his father breathed out, relieved. He let out a small chuckle before becoming serious once again. "I love you, Sammy." The child smiled widely. "And your mum was right, I'm gonna tell you every day." The boy suddenly lunged forward and almost knocked over his father as he wrapped his small arms around the man's neck.

The Doctor looked up at Rose and noticed the tears falling down her cheeks. He turned his gaze and noticed that Sarah Jane was in much the same state. He closed his eyes and savored the feeling of holding his little boy in his arms.

**A/N: Just want to take the time to thank you all for sticking with this story/series. It's the most I've written in about 5 years, so to have people like enough to even follow it means a lot to me. I would have addressed all of you wonderful people sooner, but I just finished up college, so moving and stuff has been absolutely horrendous. Keep an eye out for the next story, entitled "No Matter What."**


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